AFC North: Each team's biggest weakness

Baltimore Ravens: I'd like to be snooty and say Ozzie Newsome, mostly because he again mortgaged the future of the franchise on a QB with a strong arm and a questionable track record. But I won't. Mostly because I've grown accustomed to terrible QB play from the Ravens. It's not even a weakness anymore. It's just the way it is. So instead I'll say it's the defensive backfield. Obviously Ed Reed and Chris McAlister are money, but Samari Rolle is old and last year suffered from seizures. Not a good combination for a position that doesn't afford you much margin of error. Also, Fabian Washington is a question mark. Last week I sat down with his former roommate, Raiders CB Stanford Routt, who told me that he thinks Fabian will be great in Baltimore. But they're boys, so he has no choice but to say nice things. Still, I trust him; however, until I see it on the field, and until there's a bit more depth back there, it's still our biggest weakness. Yeah, I said our; I don't care what you think about me not suiting up.

Cincinnati Bengals: Leadership. First-round draft pick Keith Rivers is an unlikely candidate for arrest, but everyone else on that roster is fair game.



Cleveland Browns: This one was easy. Cornerback. This morning Phil Savage said on Sirius NFL Radio that the team will try to upgrade at corner, but it will not target a big-time name like Ty Law or Lito Sheppard. Cleveland doesn't have the budget. Instead, he hopes the Browns will be able to do a player-for-player trade, or perhaps give up a late-round selection to improve its defensive backfield, which is w-e-a-k. For once, the team finally has enough depth at other positions, and the team could execute a trade without making one area strong at the expense of another.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Although Pittsburgh upgraded itself in the middle by signing seven-year veteran and former Carolina Panthers center Justin Hartwig, the team is hurting in the trenches. The Steelers lost G Alan Faneca to free agency after he signed a deal with the New York Jets, making Faneca the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Good for him, and also good for the rest of the AFC North, which is happy to see him go. The Steelers waited until the fourth round to draft an O-lineman, selecting Tony Hills out of Texas. Hills used to play tight end, and he also has a history with injuries. You can't really blame the team for not going O-line in the first round, though. With Rashard Mendenhall still on the board, it was a no-brainer for the Steelers to pick up some insurance for Willie Parker.